Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell to return in 2026, AD says - ESPN

Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell will return to lead the Badgers in 2026, athletic director Chris McIntosh announced on Thursday.

With the Badgers 2-6 overall and winless in Big Ten play, McIntosh is informing the Wisconsin team on Thursday that Fickell will return as head coach next year. The return will come with changes, which include increased investment in the roster and program, along with an ongoing analysis of every facet of the program.

«Chancellor [Jennifer] Mnookin and I are aligned on significantly elevating investment in our program to compete at highest level,» McIntosh told ESPN. «We are willing to make an investment in infrastructure and staff. As important is our ability to retain and recruit players in a revenue share and NIL era.»

In three seasons at Wisconsin, Fickell has gone 15-19. Along with supporting Fickell, McIntosh pledges to support the program more financially to return the Badgers to contention in the Big Ten.

«If Wisconsin is going to be as competitive as we expect, the support has to be as competitive,» McIntosh said. «There's no getting around it. Our people, our fans are passionate about Wisconsin football. I'd have it no other way. A successful football program is important to university, the state and our lettermen.»

Fickell's deal runs through the 2031 season. If he were to have been fired this year, he'd have been owed more than $25 million. (The one-year extension in the offseason did not impact the size of Fickell's buyout.)

«This season has caused us all to have to look from within,» McIntosh said. «Luke has had to do that. I've had to do that. He has a willingness to be better. So do I, and so does Wisconsin from an institutional perspective.»

There's optimism at Wisconsin that with